Registering device for printing



June 13, 1944 w. L. MccARTER f 2,351,274

REGISTERING DEVICE FOR PRINTING Filedwov. s, 1942 MLU/V7 L, MGUARTER 5 E Y Patented June 13, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REGISTERING DEVICE FOR PRINTING William L. McCarter, Hanford, Calif.

Application November 9, 1942, Serial No. 464,995

5 Claims.

My invention relates to the art of printing and has for its particular purpose the provision of devices by which imprinting may be produced simply and quickly and to secure exact registration. This invention has particular application Where it is desired to imprint or toprint successively copy in two colors.

My present invention relates generally to the same art as do my two co-pending applications for patent, one entitled Method for mounting and registering printing elements and the other Means for mounting and registering printing elements which applications are led coneidently herewith, bearing Serial Nos. 464,997 and 464,996, respectively.

I attain the general objects of my invention by providing a exible covering adapted to be removably secured to a printing cylinder. Said :covering can be taken off and mounted about a cylindrical'registering cylinder of substantially equal length and diameter embodying my invention. Said registering cylinder is adapted to revolve over a copy holding tray provided with toothed racks on the edges thereof. The registering cylinder has pinions at the ends adapted to mesh with the racks and a sheet of copy can be arranged upon said tray. The sheet of copy is identical in size to the eventual sheet to be printed or imprinted and in the spaces to be imprinted type elements, preferably of rubber, are arranged face down. Said type elements have adhesive on their backs. The surface of said tray is spaced from the under surface ofsaid roller a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the type elements and thus when the registering cylinder is rot-ated over said copy, it picks up the type elements by adhesion and said type elements are Vthereby arranged upon the covering in proper position. Said covering can then be removed from the registering cylinder and placed upon the printing cylinder without further adjustment. By this means exact registration can be made, quickly and easily. Y

Other details of my invention are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View looking clown upon the copy holding tray with a sheet of copy shown thereon with type elements arranged in proper position, one corner of said copy paper being shown turned up; f

.Fig 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Fig, 5 showing the relative arrangement of the registering cylinder, the covering thereon, the copy tray and type elements arranged thereon Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a foreshortened sectional View taken substantially on the line 4-4 in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View showing the registering cylinderin place on the copy holdingvtray with the pinions thereon in mesh with the `racks at the side of said tray.

My invention is adapted to be used with Va flexible covering l provided withv eyelets la ,or other devices which permits it to be removably secured to a printingv cylinder of any type of printing press (not shown). Said exible covering is made of any flexible material and preferably but not necessarily may be made of a sheet of Celluloid or similar material which is adapted to lie fiat upon the surface of the cylinder but which has sufficient flexibility so that recurring bending thereof will not rupture it. Said flexible covering may be detachably secured to an impression cylinder 2 embodying my invention. Such a cylinder has the same diameter and substantially the same length as the printing cylinder for which said covering is' made. The cylinder is provided with two pinions 3, one at each end thereof, preferably with handles or guides 4 so that it can be rotated over a copy tray 5.

The upper surface 6 of said copy tray is plane and extends over an area substantially equalto the surface area of the impression cylinder covering I. Said tray is provided with racks 1 at the longitudinal edges thereof, which racks have teeth formed thereon adapted tomesh with the pinions 3 on the impression cylinder. Then "if the cylinder is rolled lengthwise of the tray, it will be maintained in substantial alinementl'atverally of saidtray. That is, the intermeshing of the teeth on the pinion with the teeth on' the pairs of racks of the tray will not permit 'any differential rotation' to take place between the ends of the impression cylinder. A sheet "of copy 8' to be printed or imprinted, is arranged on the surface of said' copy tray and type elements Bare arranged type down on said copy paper. Said type elements,A preferably, are sheets of rubber or similar'mate'rial and have adhesiverlll, such, for example, as so-called sticky-back on their surfaces opposed to the typey faces.` VLying at the edges of said tray are two ledges or rails I I 'upon which Vthe impression cylinder issupported. Said ledges are of a height substantiallyequal to the thickness of the type element. This is illustrated in Fig. 4. Thus, ,when the impression cylinder with the covering Iarranged thereon is rotated over the type elements, the vsticky-back ofthe type elements areadhesively secured to the flexible covering I, It is not .necessary to compress the type orto apply substantial pressure to secure this adhesion. A mere surface contactis sufficient to produce this result. This permits type to be fastened to the covering without producing any misalinement and .when the covering is removed from the impression cylinder and placed upon a printing cylinder, the sheets to be arranged upon the flexible covering in a matter j of only a few seconds and a comparably shortA time is consumed in transferring 'the flexible covering from the impression cylinderlloH the,

printing cylinder.

It is not necessary that rack and pinion structures be provided but any type of notchedinterengagement of devices on the'cylinder and on the copy holder will suffice which prevents axial movementof'the impression cylinder or differential rotation of the ends thereof. Examples of devices of this character might be heavily milled or notched-members oreven a knurled surface on each endV of said impression cylinder and upon the Vrails' of the sides of the copy tray. I deem it preferable, however, to arrange these members as rack iand'pinion elements because they operate efficiently and differential movement is held within closelimits to secure exact registration of the ty'pe/eleni'entsV upon the flexible covering.

I deemit important that the ledges or'rails on the sides of the copy holding tray be of a height substantially equal to the thickness of the type elements "and the thickness of the copy paper combined so that'little or no distortion of the type.' elements is produced in transferring the letter tothe flexible covering. It is to be under-v stood that the thickness of the copy paper and that of the sticky-back, if'it is used, is more or less'snegligible and it might be said that the ledges or rails are spaced horizontally above the typepositioning surfaces a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the type elements alone.

Iciaimg" 12 lri` Combination with a flexible removable covering-"adapted to be secured to a printing cylinderja cylindrical registering member adapted removably to carry said covering about the periphery thereof and adapted-toV have type eiements "secured thereto, a copy holding tray presenting ariane type positioning surface of an area comparable to that of the area ofsaid covering, longitudinalguides and a notched-flange extending'along one side of said base, said cylin- VClritalmember with the covering attached thereto being adapted to be rolled longitudinally over the type positioning surfacezof said base, a notched cylindrical vrnemltiersecu-red to one end of said L covering `adapted to be secured to a printingv cylinder,a cylindrica1 registering member adapted removablyftocarryrsaid, covering about the periphery thereof andl adapted Vto have .type ele-V f mentssecuredthereto, a copy holding tray presenting a Dlaneltype positioning'surface of an area comparable to that ofthe area of said coveringsaid cylindrical member with the covering attached` thereto beingadapted tolbe rolled lon- Vgitudlnally over the type-Positioning surface of said base,a toothed rack formed along one side of said base, a pinion secured to one end of said cylindrical member and adapted for engagement with said toothed rack, whereby said cylindrical member is maintained in alinement and registration with said base when it is rolled over the latter.

3. In combination with a flexible removable covering adapted to be secured to a printing cylinder, a cylindrical registering member adapted removably to carry said covering about the periphery thereof and adapted to have type elements secured thereto, a copy holding tray presenting a plane type positioning surface of an area comparable to that of the area of said cov- 'l ering, said cylindrical member with the covering attached thereto being adapted to be rolled longitudinally over the type positioning surface of said base, a toothed rack formed along the sides of said base, a pair of spaced pinions secured to the ends, respectively, of said cylindrical member and adapted for engagement with said toothed racks, whereby said cylindrical member is maintained in alinement and registration with said base when it is rolled over the latter.

4. In combination with a flexible removable covering adapted to be secured to a printing cylinder, a cylindrical registering member adapted removably to carry said covering about the periphery thereof and adapted to have type elements secured thereto, a copy holding tray presenting a plane type positioning surface of an area comparable to that of the area of said covering, longitudinal guides and a notched flange extendingalong one side of said base, said cylindrical member with the covering attached thereto being adapted to be rolled longitudinally over the type positioning surface of said base, a notched cylindrical member secured to one end of said cylindrical member and adapted for engagement with said notched member, whereby said cylindrical member is maintained in alinement and registration with said base when it is rolled over the latter, and type elements arranged upon said type positioning surface, said type elements having adhesive covered backs adapted to contact with and to be adhesively secured to said covering when said covered cylindrical registering member is rolled over said base.

5. In combination with a flexible removable covering adaptedto be secured to a printing cylinder, a cylindrical registering member adapted removably -to carry said covering about the periphery thereof and adapted to have type elements secured thereto, a copy holding tray presenting a plane type positioning surface of an area comparable to that of the area of said covering, longitudinal guides and a notched flange extending along one side of said base, said cylindrical member with the covering attached thereto being adapted to be rolled longitudinally over the type Y`positioning surface of said base, a notched cylindricalmember secured to one end of said cylindrical member and adapted for engagement with said notched member, whereby said cylindrical member is maintained in alinement and registration with said base when it is rolled over the latter, and type elements arranged upon said type positioning surface, said eype elements having adhesive covered backs adapted to contact with and to be adhesively secured to said covering when said covered cylindrical registering member is rolled over said base, said guides being spaced above said type positioning surface a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said type elements. i

WILLIAM L. MCCARTER. 

